Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Trump administration clears first Ukraine arms aid package paid for by allies: Reuters, citing sources
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman receives Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani at his office in Al-Yamamah Palace
Wakim: Surrender is not in our dictionary, and it is not true that "Israel" can implement its project in Lebanon and the region
Wakim: The US is preventing the armament of the Lebanese army. The question is, why are the weapons it is handed over by the Resistance being destroyed?
Wakim: The Resistance is required to hand over its weapons to the [current] authority. The question is: Is this authority independent or subservient to America?
Wakim: The Resistance in Lebanon has suffered blows but has not been defeated
Israeli media: Sirens sound in al-Quds, central region, following the detection of a missile launch from Yemen
Wakim: The entirety of Lebanon is under occupation, not just the five points in southern Lebanon
Najah Wakim: The Resistance operations launched against the Israeli occupation gave the Lebanese people hope
Former Lebanese MP Najah Wakim: The Resistance against the occupation began with spontaneous initiatives, with time, the resistance's work became more and more organized

Sunak promises to place UK on ‘crisis footing’ if he becomes PM

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 23 Jul 2022 12:59
5 Min Read

The former British chancellor is set to deliver speech vowing vaccine-style taskforce to address NHS backlogs in a bid to secure his place as the next PM.

  • x
  • Rishi Sunak has entered the race to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister.
    Rishi Sunak has entered the race to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister.

Former British chancellor Rishi Sunak has stated that as prime minister, he will put the UK on a "crisis footing."

Sunak will attempt to shift the debate from tax cuts to the NHS in a speech in Grantham, Lincolnshire, on Saturday, by pledging to put the health service on a "war footing" with a vaccines-style taskforce set up to address the "emergency" of "massive backlogs."

Meanwhile, his Tory leadership rival, Liz Truss, has pledged to review all EU laws retained after Brexit by the end of next year in a "red tape bonfire" if she is elected, and to repeal or replace those deemed to impede UK growth.

Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg had pushed for a similar cliff-edge deadline to tear up 2,400 pieces of legislation, but for two and a half years later, in June 2026. 

His plan sparked a cabinet squabble over its viability, given the planned reduction of a fifth of civil service numbers - approximately 90,000 jobs.

Experts and union leaders said Truss' proposals would be extremely difficult to implement in the context of civil service cuts, warning that it could result in a "bonfire of rights."

Truss and Sunak have launched a flurry of policy announcements in an attempt to gain an advantage in the Conservative leadership election. 

Ballot papers will begin to arrive on party members' doorsteps in less than a week, though they have until September 2 to vote.

The heat is on

Truss and Sunak, who survived an initial round of voting by MPs, will take part in a series of hustings events for members beginning on Thursday in Leeds. 

They will also square off in a televised debate on Monday.

Sunak will highlight his Thatcherite credentials in Grantham on Saturday. He will warn against "backdoor privatization" and announce plans to eliminate one-year NHS waiting times six months earlier than planned by September 2024 and to reduce overall numbers by next year.

Related News

Millions of children in UK going hungry amid economic crisis

Will the idea of pan-Africanism survive migration, economic crises?

“Waiting times for everything from major surgery to a visit to the GP are at record levels. Millions of people are waiting for life-saving cancer screening, major surgeries, and consultations,” he will state.

“People shouldn’t have to make a choice with a gun to their head. If we do not immediately set in train a radically different approach, the NHS will come under unsustainable pressure and break.”

Sunak said, as quoted by the Times, that the UK needed to be on "crisis footing" in order to deal with inflation and a slew of other issues.

“They’re challenges that are staring us in the face and a business-as-usual mentality isn’t going to cut it in dealing with them. So from day one of being in office, I’m going to put us on a crisis footing,” the former chancellor said.

“Having been inside government, I think the system just isn’t working as well as it should,” he is cited as saying. “And the challenges that I’m talking about, they’re not abstract, they’re not things that are coming long down the track.”

In newspaper interviews this weekend, both candidates reiterated their economic policies, which have been the main source of contention in the campaign thus far.

Read more: UK recession risk increases as economy shrinks in March

“What I worry about is the inflation we’re seeing now becoming entrenched for longer,” Sunak said. 

“That’s the risk we need to guard against. If that happens, it will be incredibly damaging for millions across the UK. The cost for families is going to be enormous,” he added.

He also argued that the foreign secretary's plans could cause interest rates to rise while dismissing the notion that he is engaged in a "project fear."

Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister and a Sunak supporter, did not rule out someone from the private sector leading a vaccines-style taskforce to address NHS backlogs.

Sunak was defended by Raab for not proposing any of these ideas while a senior member of the government, saying that as chancellor, he had focused on "critical things" like vaccine rollout and that it was now time to deal with the "aftershocks" of Covid-19.

“What Rishi has done is set out a very credible plan. And critically, it’s properly funded and the challenge is how anyone could match this plan to get overall numbers on waiting lists down by next year unless they also match the health and social care levy,” he said.

“And that just goes to this critical point in this contest – who’s got the credible plan, the credible plan on the economy to get inflation down, the credible plan on the NHS to get waiting lists down? And it’s Rishi Sunak,” he concluded.

Read more: Britain's next Prime Minister: Sunak vs. Truss

  • Rishi Sunak
  • UK
  • Liz Truss
  • NHS backlogs
  • Boris Johnson
  • economic crisis

Most Read

Pro-"Israel" conservative Charlie Kirk shot during Utah speech

American far-right activist Charlie Kirk shot dead during Utah speech

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025
Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza.

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza

  • Politics
  • 12 Sep 2025
A screengrab from the ad played on Fox News. (X Screengrab)

Fox airs ad warning Trump not to let Netanyahu 'play' him on Gaza

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025
Lapid: Egypt’s Arab Force plan a 'severe blow' to normalization

Lapid: Egypt’s Arab Force plan a 'severe blow' to normalization

  • Palestine
  • 14 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
'Israel’s' Qatar strike backfires, fueling diplomatic fallout
Politics

'Israel’s' Qatar strike backfires, fueling diplomatic fallout

'Israel' committing genocide in Gaza, UN Commission declares
Politics

'Israel' committing genocide in Gaza, UN Commission declares

Rubio supports Gaza offensive, warns few days left for diplomacy
Palestine

Rubio supports Gaza occupation, warns of tight window for deal

US adds Colombia to drug list, drawing Petro’s rebuke
Politics

US adds Colombia to drug list, drawing Petro’s rebuke

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS